1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agricultural machine comprising a motor vehicle and several working units intended to cut standing plant products, said working units being connected to said motor vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the prior art, there is such an agricultural machine comprising a motor vehicle and at least two front working units which protrude laterally in order to cover a wide cutting area and improve the productivity of the machine.
Such mowers have a working width that may reach some ten meters; to move them on the roads, it has been necessary to provide a reduced width transport position in which the working units are pivoted to the vertical.
In this transport configuration, a first problem is posed which is that of the visibility of the road by the driver of the vehicle, the working units being extremely obstructive in this configuration.
A second problem, associated with the positioning of the working units raised and in front of the tractor, is that of the stability of the vehicle particularly on uneven ground. The instability of the vehicle may, in certain unfavorable conditions, cause it to overturn.
In order to cover as large an area as possible in the field, the working units are increasingly long. The folding of said working units around the motor vehicle, into the transport position, in order to comply with the maximum dimension authorized for traveling on the public roads, therefore leads to a serious problem concerning the visibility from the vehicle cabin for driving and to an instability of said vehicle.
In the agricultural machines previously described and in the context of the present invention, the working units placed in front of the motor vehicle may be substantially in line and may be elements only for cutting the products, or cutting elements associated with a device for conditioning cut products, that is therefore machines classified in the categories of mowers or mower-conditioners. Such machines may in addition comprise means for grouping the cut products into windrows in order to make them easier to pick up by means of a forage harvester for example.